Innovative and forward-thinking independent retailer

Since its establishment in 1997, MRH has become the UK’s leading independent service station owner and operator. In 2004 it acquired the Kuwait Petroleum GB and this was followed by large acquisitions from Texaco, BP and Esso. MRH Retail now has over 450 company-owned service stations in its portfolio, most of which are branded Esso and BP.

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PHP development

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ASP.NET 3.5

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MS SQL 2008

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Development

The Challenge

Updating the method of communicating retail operations information to a wide network of parties became a high priority for the Area Manager in charge of Merchandising and Shops, Lee Barnes. He needed a more modern and efficient solution that would save costs and increase business efficiency.

The Solution

Having in mind the challenges in the current communication, we have developed a custom system, which allows easy access to information from all relevant parties. The developed platform, RITA (Retail Information & Template Access) is an intranet/extranet secure web database application, designed for the company to support the distribution and flow of information and documentation to their retail sites.

The project comprises modules covering

User management

Document processing

Store management to control fascia and retail display on a store-by-store basis

Warranty and maintenance tracking for in-store point of sale and display equipment

News and FAQ sections

Ticketing module

Reporting issues and reports management

Two types of access

The system allows two types of access – one for the managers of the chain and a separate one for the shop managers. Once you log in as a shop manager you have the options to search for different documents using special categories, to read the news and FAQ section and to upload any types of issues.

Special engine

Part of this panel is a special engine that sends each shop only the specific information, which is relevant to them. At first it was very important for every shop to be aware of the suppliers’ conditions and regulations when it comes to the right position of their products. That is something, which is strictly regulated by the contract between the chain and each product supplier. The issue that appeared is that it was very difficult to create a scheme how to position each product as every shop is equipped differently. Therefore, we created an engine, which based on the equipment in the shop, recognizes what type of documentation each shop needs. The process is made as simple as possible and allows easy and fast distribution of all documents. In order to recognize where exactly to send it to, the system contains a full description of every shop’s equipment.

Check

The system also allows the option to check whether each shop has received their specific documentation, whether they have applied the changes and whether there is someone who has audited the whole process. At the same time each supplier is provided with access to the same system so that they know whether the changes for their products are applied and if yes, to go and audit them themselves.

The experience with Flat Rock

Following a detailed tendering process, and an introductory meeting we chose Flat Rock Technology to design and build our bespoke system. We found Flat Rock to be the most suitable for their business expertise, understanding our objectives and also for their clear, concise communications.

The level of communication between ourselves and Flat Rock Technology was extremely valuable in producing a system which performs exactly as we hoped. The initial workshop allowed a free exchange of ideas, and was extremely worthwhile in bringing our product to fruition.

We knew from the outset that we would require a bespoke IT solution, and Flat Rock weren’t afraid of the challenge. They weren’t happy with ‘work-arounds’ or quick fixes. They knew the system they had created well enough to provide the exact solutions to make the system work.

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